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Space Diving
Anonymous Coward writes "There's a Canadian company that wants to introduce a new sport called "space diving." It's like sky diving, but from space down to earth. But the interesting thing is the inspiration behind space diving: NASA had a wacked-out idea in the '60s for astronauts to return to earth without a capsule. The astronauts were expected to leap from the capsule toward earth with nothing but a spacesuit, a backpack, and a retrorocket gun to save them. A ballute (maybe filled with nitrogen or helium but I checked and a light foam was considered) in the backback would slow the reentry so the astronaut wouldn't char, and then parachutes would guide a traditional descent. But the weirdest part is they'd have to fire the gun to point themselves to the right height and position to come down over land. I'd never heard of this escape system before. Read the article."
so, how do baloons and parachutes work? Baloons work by being lighter than the air around them (hence, hot-air baloons work in cold air, helium (or hydrogen) baloons work in standard air. PArachutes work by using the resistance of the air to slow one down.
Neither of these really work outside the atmosphere!
I can only presume they only fly you up to a height that, while arguably 'in space' is not totally out of the atmosphere--just most of it.
I think I won't be first in line for this. MAybe 100th.
Returned Peace Corps IT Volunteer
I don't know if anyone's noticed this yet, but every article that shows up on the space.com slashbox get submitted for a story within a week. Couldn't we just hurry things up and funnel those directly to the frontpage?
One or more members of the crew were alive and conscious for atleast a few tens of seconds after the accident. The compressed air was switched on, and pretty much that can only have been done by human intervention. The astronauts weren't wearing pressure suits during the launch, so gas can only be supplied at ambient pressure, which at that altitude would have been insufficient to maintain consciousness for very long. Pure Oxygen would have allowed longer survival, but not radically so as the disaster involved impacting the sea at 200mph, so being unconscious is probably preferable.
However, there's no proof to what extent the vehicle leaked, as it was significantly damaged on impact, and all power was cut which stopped the audio recorder at the point when the spacecraft's tanks exploded.
Possibly if the crew had been in a pressure suit and/or were supplied with oxygen, and they had a bail out system then they might have survived, but it's probably unlikely even then. Bailing out at supersonic speeds is nearly impossible even with ejector seats.
-WolfWithoutAClause
"Gravity is only a theory, not a fact!"This was a great song we sung when I was an active skydiver (my buddy was an excellent acoustic guitar player!) Ahh...the memories!
For more humorous skydiving things, check out
http://www.afn.org/skydive/humor/
Blood on the Risers
Sung to the tune of "Battle Hymn of the Republic"
Revised and edited for sport by Little David
First jumper on the wingstrut called the spotter as he looked
Our hero now was fearless for he'd read Russ Gunby's book
He jumped right out into the blast, his static line unhooked
He ain't going to jump no more.
Chorus:
Gory, Gory, what a helluva way to die,
Gory, gory, what a helluva way to die
Gory, gory what a helluva way to die
He ain't going to jump no more.
He counted long, he counted loud, six thousand was his goal
He tumbled out of stable and began a forward roll
He spun out flat, began to dive and went out of control
He ain't gonna jump no more.
Chorus (above)
The risers wrapped around his neck, connectors cracked his dome
The lines were snarled and tied in knots around his skinny bones
The canopy became his shroud, he hurtled to the ground
He ain't gonna jump no more.
Chorus (above)
He pulled the handle on his reserve and threw it far away
He tried to grab the skirt, but all his thumbs got in the way
He threw it out all full of holes and then began to pray
He ain't gonna jump no more.
Chorus (above)
The days he'd lived and loved and laughed kept running through his mind
He thought about the girl below, the one he'd left behind
He thought about the medico's and wondered what they'd find
He ain't gonna jump no more.
Chorus (above)
The ambulance was on the spot, its mighty siren wailed
The medics rolled their sleeves and smiled as through the air he sailed
For it had been a week or more since last a chute had failed
He ain't gonna jump no more.
Chorus (above)
The drop zone coming fast, a hundred miles or more
"I get his helmet and his boots," he heard a buddy roar
He bounced around the runway in the welter of his gore
He ain't gonna jump no more.
Chorus (above)
His pelvis crashed into his chest, his ribs poked through his side
His helmet bounced a hundred feet, his head was still inside
The ground crew stood there laughing as he rolled around and died
He ain't gonna jump no more.
Chorus (above)
Hey, this has incredible implications for the airline industry. Instead of paying ridiculous fares to get yourself somewhere you don't really want to be (the airport), you could just hop on a rocket, head for the stratosphere, and then guide yourself down to the general vicinity using your handy rocket-powered backpack.
I'm seeing new uses for building roofs. Executives could land exactly on the building they wanted to visit, rather than waiting for cabs and lugging luggage through security checkpoints. As a frequent flier, let me just say that this is one heck of an idea.
Not.
What's your damage, Heather?
..this is how we plan to take over Earth. Our spaceborne regiments of hockey-stick armed toothless warriors will plunge towards the Whitehouse and burn it (again) just as the Presidential transition is taking place, eliminating both of your "great leaders". This will leave you with no choice but to bring back Jimmy Carter.
Essentially leaderless, you Americans will be easy pickings for our elite spacedivers. Imagine the surprise advantage of having a regiment of troops show up out of nowhere. Once military objectives have been achieved, we will appropriate your radio stations, and subject you to Canadian content, 24-7. Those Americans who do not kill themselves after two continuous hours of Celine Dion will be given the option of slavery or becoming part of FROG (France Reconnisance Operations Group).
Our next objective will be Buckingham Palace. A quick, effective strike on the Royal Family will destroy the tabloid industry and thus destabilize the world economy. Demoralized and destitute, the rest of the world shall fall beneath the crunch of our hockey skates.